Easter Sunday - God Love Reaches Toward Us

"For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish
but have eternal life."
John 3:16 NIV

"God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting men's sins against them.
And he has committed to us
the message of reconciliation."
2 Corinthians 5:19 NIV

On this Easter Sunday we reflect on the love of God which reaches for fallen humankind, and in the gift of Jesus Christ, provides for our eternal salvation.

The lyrics of the song "Reaching" by William J. and Gloria Gaither expresses God’s desire for us to be part of His kingdom and of His Provision to make that possible.

"Reaching"

"His love went on longing
And His love went on reaching,
Right past the shackles of my mind.
And the Word of the Father became Mary’s little Son
And His love reached all the way to where I was.

Longing, reaching,
Reaching and searching
And the longing and the reaching became Mary’s little Son
And His love reached all the way to where I was."
-- Copyright by William J. Gaither

Here on the YouTube the song is fervently presented by the Gaither Vocal Band – vocals by Guy Penrod, Wes Hampton and Marshall Hall; piano by Bill Gaither:

Clipart Dover.publications.com

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"‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE JESUS CAME"

Here is a poem that points to Christ’s promise to return for His own beloved followers. It employs the familiar rhythms of Clement C. Moore’s poem, "The Visit From St. Nicholas."

‘Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house
Not a creature was praying not one in the house.
Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care
In hopes that Jesus would not come there.

The children were dressing to crawl into bed,
Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.
And mom in her rocker with baby on her lap
Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.

When out of the East there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the window, I flew like a flash
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!

When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.
With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray
I knew in a moment this must be THE DAY!

The light of His face made me cover my head.
It was Jesus! Returning just like He had said.
And through I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.

In the Book of Life which He held in His hand,
Was written the name of every saved man.
He spoke not a word as He searched for my name;
When He said "It’s not here" my head hung in shame.

The people whose names had been written with love
He gathered to take to His Father above.
With those who were ready He arose without a sound
While all the rest were left standing around.

I fell to my knees, but it was too late;
I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.
I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight;
Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.

In the words of this poem the meaning is clear.
The coming of Jesus is drawing near.
There’s only one life and when comes the last call
We’ll find that the Bible was true after all!
---Author Unknown

My hope is that no one who loves His name will experience what the narrator describes for himself. As we celebrate His first coming as a babe in Bethlehem, let us consider that He promised to return for His loved ones.

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When I Say, "I Am A Christian"

When I say, "I am a Christian,"

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not shouting, "I've been saved!"
I'm whispering, "I get lost! That's why I chose this way"

When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't speak with human pride
I'm confessing that I stumble-needing God to be my guide

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not trying to be strong
I'm professing that I'm weak and pray for strength to carry on

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not bragging of success
I'm admitting that I've failed and cannot ever pay the debt

When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't think I know it all
I submit to my confusion asking humbly to be taught

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not claiming to be perfect
My flaws are far too visible but God believes I'm worth it

When I say, "I am a Christian," I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartache which is why I seek His name

When I say, "I am a Christian," I do not wish to judge
I have no authority--I only know I'm loved


Copyright 1988 Carol Wimmer
For the story of the poem visit http://www.carolwimmer.com/

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Teach Me…

"Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve Thee as Thou deservest;
To give and not to count the cost;
To fight and not to heed the wounds;
To toil and not to seek for reward,
Save that of knowing that
I do Thy will, O God."

-- St. Ignatius of Loyola

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Slow Me Down, Lord!

Spiritual Sundays is sponsored by Charlotte of At Home in Scottsdale and by Ginger of Enchanting Cottage


This poem expresses just how I am feeling as I prepare for out of state and in-state relatives for my mother’s 90th birthday next weekend, September 19-22.

Slow me down, Lord!
Ease the pounding of my heart
By the quieting of my mind.
Steady my harried pace
With a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me,
Amidst the confusions of my day,
The calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves
With the soothing music of the singing streams
That live in my memory.

Help me to know
The magical power of sleep.
Teach me the art
Of taking minute vacations of slowing down
to look at a flower;
to chat with an old friend or make a new one;
to pat a stray dog;
to watch a spider build a web;
to smile at a child;
or to read a few lines from a good book.

Remind me each day
That the race is not always to the swift;
Thaer there is more to life than increasing its speed.
Let me look upward
Into the branches of the towering oak
And know that it grew great and strong
Because it grew slowly and well.

Slow me down, Lord,
And inspire me to send my roots deep
Into the soil of life’s enduring values
That I my grow toward the stars
Of my greater destiny.
-- Wilfred A. Peterson

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Spiritual Sunday – Perspective for Today or Tomorrow

I have adapted this post from an e-mail forwarded to me recently. It gives us perspectives from which to view our daily experiences.

To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE

This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day.
I love you.

P.S. And, remember...
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair.
There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work;
think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad;
think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend;
think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance;
think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror;
think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose?
Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities;
remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!

Should you decide to send this to a friend;
Thank you. You may have touched their life in ways you will never know!

Now, you have a nice day.
God

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Spiritual Sunday – On His Mind

Spiritual Sundays is sponsored by Charlotte of At Home in Scottsdale and by Ginger of Enchanting Cottage.

When a Christian strays from what he/she knows is right, and is sorry for that fault, he/she has assurance of forgiveness. Jesus knows our heart; He knows who belongs to Him.

"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them;

for they know not what they do."

Luke 23:34

Calvary is the central pillar of Christianity. Every one who goes by His name finds a basis for hope in that event, for the cross draws all who wish to be saved. One of my favorite songs expresses this very well:

When He Was On The Cross, I Was On His Mind

I’m not on an ego trip, I’m nothing on my own

I make mistakes I often slip, just common flesh and bones

But I'll prove someday, just why I say, I’m of a special kind

For when He was on the cross, I was on His mind.

For He knew me yet He loved me

He whose glory makes the heavens shine.

So unworthy of such mercy.

Yet when He was on the cross, I was on His mind.

The look of love was on His face and thorns were on His head

The blood was on His scarlet robe and stained a crimson red

Though His eyes were on the crowd that day, He looked ahead in time

For when He was on the cross, I was on His mind.

For He knew me yet He loved me

He whose glory makes the heavens shine.

So unworthy of such mercy.

Yet when He was on the cross, I was on His mind.

Oh, doesn’t this give you great encouragement?

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Spiritual Sunday – Jesus’ Amazing Prayer

Spiritual Sundays is sponsored by Charlotte of At Home in Scottsdale, and by Ginger of Enchanting Cottage.

Today I want to focus briefly on John 17 and the incredible prayer of Jesus on that momentous Thursday night before He went with the eleven disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane.

Here we have God the Son praying to God the Father on our behalf!
20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me."

The entire chapter is an incredible, amazing, communication that reveals Who Jesus really was and is—eternal God:
18As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. SENT BY GOD TO US

10All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. UNIVERSAL OWNERSHIP

5And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. HIS PRE-EXISTENCE

John 17 reveals the love of Jesus Christ for each of his followers. It also provides us the insight that God the Father is united with Him in working for the salvation in all who take the name of Christ.

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Beginning With Prayer

Spiritual Sundays is sponsored by Charlotte of At Home in Scottsdale and by Ginger of Enchanting Cottage .

As we begin a new week today, I thought it would be useful to consider this prayer by Deitrich Bonhoeffer. He was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian, and author who lost his life opposing his government.

"O God, early in the morning I cry to you.
Help me to pray
And to concentrate my thoughts on you:
I cannot do this alone.

In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart but with you there is help;
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;
I do not understand your ways,
But you know the way for me…

Restore me to liberty,
And enable me so to live now
That I may answer before you and before me.
Lord, whatever this day may bring,
Your name be praised."
--Deitrich Bonhoeffer


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How to Have Answered Prayers

I learned about this new feature, Spiritual Sundays, from one of the sponsors, Charlotte of At Home in Scottsdale. Spiritual Sundays is a place to share our inspirational thoughts and quotations.

When it comes to our prayers of requests to God, we are assured that they will be answered.
"And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you;
seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
Luke 11:9

The following text implied that receiving an answer comes when we line up our wants with God’s plans:
"Delight thyself also in the LORD;
and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
Ps. 37:4

This prayer beautifully expresses the importance of aligning our wishes with divine principles:
"Grant me, O Lord,
to know what I ought to know,
to love what I ought to love,
to praise what delights you most,
to value what is precious in your sight,
to what what is offensive to you.
Do not allow me to judge according to the sight of my eyes,
Not to pass sentence according to the hearing of the ears of ignorant men;
But to discern with a true judgment between things visible and spiritual,
And above all things, always to inquire what is the good pleasure of your will."
--Thomas A’ Kempis

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Have a wonderful week!